Apparatus for and method of treating food products



J. J. HOFFMAN Dec. E4, 1948.

APPARATUS FOR AND METHODAOF TREATING FOOD PRODUCTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10. 1943 v n k INVENTOR Ja/l/v .7.' HOFF/VAN.

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Dec. 14, 1948. J, J, HQFFMAN 2,456,124

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD TREATING FOOD PRODUCTS Filed Aug. 10, 1.943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g vf i c ((36 lzg (Z8 31,6 g4 (6 I 42 67) Z4 I1., p: l i 8 7 /w //d 67 `\l;;lll/:

A11-omg lPatented Dec. 14, 1948 r APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF TREATING FOOD PRODUCTS John J. Hoffman, Point Pleasant, N. Y., assignor to Beech-Nut Packing Company, Canaioharie, N.' Y., a corporation of Ne'w York pplication August 10, 1943, Serial No. 498,045

"3 claims. (ci. ca -114) The present invention relatesv to apparatus for treating products, particularly vegetables and other food products, and has special reference to apparatus that isadapted for use in blanching, cooking, peeling, and freezing vegetables, and other food products. The invention further relates to a novel and improved method of freezing such products.

The object of the invention is to provide novel and improved method and apparatus of this character.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, and partly diagrammatical, of the preferred form of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional plan view on an enlarged scale taken substantiallybn the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a verticalv sectionalview, partly in eievation, of a device that may be employed in controlling the feed of the material to the treating.

chamber of the apparatus.

As shown, the apparatus is provided with an elongated treating chamber 2 which may be cylindrical. One end of this chamber is closed 2 the screw conveyor and the trough 20 may be emoved from the chamber, and thecover 24 removed from the' trough, so as to permit these parts to be easily cleaned and replaced.

The steam chamber 2 is provided with an inlet opening in the tcp part of one end thereof which is in communication through a vertical cylindrical conduit 26 with the outlet opening of a horizontal cylinder 28. The cover 24 of the trough by a wall or cover 4, and its other end by a cover 6 which is removable,

A screw conveyor 8 is mounted in the chamber for conveying material longitudinally thereof. This screw conveyor has a shaft I0 which has one end journaled in a bearing in the removable cover 6, andv has its other end detachably coupled to a driving shaft I2. The conveyor shaft I 0 is made tubular, and steam may be directed therethrough from a steam pipe I 4 which leads into a steam box I6 surrounding the driving shaft l2, and leading into the said end of the conveyor shaft |,.the other end ofthe y conveyor shaft being closed.

'Ihe conveyor shaft I0 is provided with per- 20 has an opening in alinement with the conduit 26 so as to' permit material to be dropped down through said conduit and on to the rear end of the screw conveyor and into said trough20.

The underside of the front end of the steam Vto form a tightly sliding t between the pistons and the cylinder. The pistons in each cylinder are connected to move together by means of piston rods 40 which are connected to the crossbars of a frame 42 that may be operated by means of a crank, or in any other manner, to reciprocate the pistons.

.The cylinder 28 is provided with an inlet opening which, through a cylindrical conduit 44, is

in communication with a hopper 46.

'I'he lower cylinder 32 is provided 4with an'outlet opening which leads into a cylindrical conduit 48 through which the material from the apparatus may be discharged;

The space between the inner ends of the pistons of the cylinder 28 is less than the distancev between the inlet conduit 44 andthe outlet cylindrical conduit 26 of said cylinder. The space between the ends of the pistons of the cylinder 32 is less than the distance between the inlet cylindrical conduit 30 and the discharge conduit 48.

The cylinder 28 is provided with a steam inlet 50 in alinement with the conduit 26,.and the cyl'- inder 32 is provided with a water inlet 52 in alinement with the discharge conduit 48.'

A thermostatic trap 54 of suitable construction I bottom of the steam cham- /apparatus by venting as through the valve-controlled vent or suction line 8B hereinafter described. The food products to be blanched, such as beets and potatoes, after being cut into small pieces or diced are supplied to the hopper 48.

When the pair of pistons in the cylinder 28 are `in the position shown in Fig. .K1 with the space between the ends of the pistons in alinement with the conduit 44, the diced food is free to drop down between the pistons. Upon forward movement of the pistons, the lower end of the conduit 44 is closed by the rear piston, and the batch of food between the pistons is conveyed to a pposition above the conduit 26. When the pistons reach this position, the steam `inlet 50 is opened so as to cause the steam to force the material down through the conduit. The pistons then return to receive the next charge of food from the conduit 44.

During this movement of the'pistons 28, the piston rings effectively prevent theescape of steam from the steam chamber.

During the feeding through the steam chamber of the batches of food thus supplied thereto, the pressure in the steam chamber is maintained by the admission of steam through the steam supply pipe I4. By admitting the steam into the chamber through the perforations I8, ar-

y ranged adjacent the sides of the blade of the of food are uniformly subjected tothe steam as they are rolled or otherwise agitated by the screw conveyor while being fed through the chamber.

When the food reaches the outlet opening of the steam chamber, it drops down through the conduit into the space'between the pistons in the cylinder 32. Upon forward movement of the pistons thereafter, this charge of food is carried beneath the water inlet 52 where water is sprayed over it to effect quick cooling and to force it down through the discharge conduit 48. As the space between the pistons is of less width than the distance between the inlet and the outlet openings of the cylinder 32, the piston rings effectively prevent the escape of steam from the forward end of the steam chamber.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that any desired steam pressure may be maintained in the steam chamber 24 as may be required for blanching, cooking, or peeling, and this is accomplished without any material loss of steam.

In using the apparatus for peeling such/products as beets and potatoes, the device illustrated in Fig. '4 may be employed in place of the Apipe 44 for conducting material from vthe hopper 46 to the cylinder 28. As shown this device comprises a conduit 58 which has two dampers or gates 60 hingedly mounted therein one above the other. The gates are adapted to be operated simulta? neouslyv to move one into closed position and the other into open position alternately through a suitable arrangement of links-and levers 62 which may be operated by a solenoid G4.

When the upper gate 60 is open, the beets or potatoes are adapted to drop down upon the lower gate 60. As the lower gate opens, the upper gate closes to. permit the measured quantity of the articles between the two gates to drop down between the pistons, this measured quantity of articles being less than suiilcientto ll the space between the pistons. This insures against It will be apparent that my improved apparatus insures proper treatment of the products in a minimum length of time and with the use of a minimum amount of steam, and uniform results are insured.

In using the apparatus for freezing, the steam and water supplies above described are shut off and the chamber 2 disconnected from the steam trap 54. The chamber 2 is then connected with a vacuum line 6B which creates a sufficiently high vacuum in the chamber 2 to insure proper freezing.

The pieces of material may be supplied to the chamber 2 from the hopper 46 by operation of the piston 34 in the same manner as above described in the case of blanching, cooking and peeling, and likewise the material after passing through the treating chamber 2 may be discharged in the same manner as in the case of those other treating operations.

Also, it will be apparent that the pistons effectively preventv leakage of air into the chamber 2 during the operation of the apparatus.

During the feeding of the material through the treating chamber, the pieces of material, such las peas or beans, are continuously rolled or otherall their surfaces to be uniformly subjected to the vacuum, and the pieces are individually frozen and separately discharged from the treating chamber. This .insures uniform freezing of theindividual pieces, and the freezing operation is accomplished in; af minimumlength of time. Moreover, the-individual freezing of the pieces results in the product being more like the fresh product.

The operation of thus vacuum freezing the products, causes a certain amount of dehydration. This may add to the keeping qualities of certain products, and also has the advantage oi' lessening the weight of the material, which is an important item in shipping large quantities of a product in bulk. In case it is desired to increase the moisture content of the product, this may be donevby spraying water over the material as it passes through the vacuum chamber. To provide for this a plurality of spaced valvecontrolled water supply nozzles are adapted to spray water into the interior of the chamber 2 and through openings in the cover of the trough 22.

The frozen material discharged from the apparatus through the conduit 48 may be placed in suitable containers for shipment to the canning factory, or dehydrating plant, for further processing, or maybe' placed in small packages as desired.

While other vdevices may be employed for feeding the material through the treating chamber, the screw conveyor provides the most effective means so far devised as it at all times tends to preferably connected by flat bars 67. When the any of the beets or potatoes projecting above the inlet opening of the cylinder, and thus prevents shearing or otherwise mutilating of the potatoes by the operation of the pistons. 1 j.

uniformly roll and agitate the pieces of the material so as to uniformly expose their entire surfaces to the vacuum. In order to increase the agitating or turning over of the pieces of material during the feeding thereof through the treating chamber, the flights of the screw conveyor 8 are ing and discharged As will be evident to those sinned in the ammy invention permits lvarious modincations without 1. In an apparatus for treating material o! the class described, a chamber having an inlet opening in the top side of one end and an outlet opening in the bottom side of its other end, means for conveying material through said chamber, the material being admitted through said inlet openthrough said outlet opening, a conduit extending upwardly from said inlet opening, a conduit extending downwardly from said outlet opening, a cylinder having an opening leading into the upper end of said inlet conduit, a second cylinder having an opening into which leads the lower end of said discharge conduit, an inlet opening in the nrst mentioned cylinder and an outlet opening in the second mentioned cylinder, pistons mounted for reciprocating movement in each of said cylinders, the pistons in each cylinder having their inner ends spaced apart, and means for reciprocating said pistons whereby the pistons in the ilrst mentioned cylinder are adapted to receive between them material entering the associated cylinder through the inlet opening therein, and to discharge the material through the outlet opening in the cylinder, said inlet and outlet openings in each cylinder being spaced apart a distance greater than the space between the ends oi' the pistons.

2. The method of freezing pieces of material which comprises feeding the material through a chamber, agitating the pieces of material as they are being fed, spraying water over the pieces o! material while they are being ted, and maintainl0 Number Name' Date l 354,159 Fraser May 21, 1907 959,449 4mixtamay 31, 1910 1,069,501 wilson Aug. 5, 1913 1,230,911 snippee June 19, 1911 25 1.3901159 Long Nav. 15, 1921 1,884,429 Warner Oct. 25, 1932 1,933,257 Goosmann Oct. 31, 1983` 1,940,194 comer nec. 19, 1933 1,944,357 Arwen Jan. 23, 1934 30 2,100,151 'rien Nov. 23, 1937 2,102,213 conn June 13, 1939 2,132,556 Griswold nec. 5, 1939 2,302,199 Baker Nov. 1v, 1942i 2,304,192 Newton nec. a, 1942 5, 2,411,152 mmm Nov. 19, 194e ins a suiilciently high vacuum in the chamber to eiiectireezing of the pieces as they pass through the chamber.

3. The method of freezing pieces of material which comprises passing the material through a chamber, agitating the pieces of material as they pass through the chamber, applying moisture to the pieces of material while they are thus passing through the chamber, and maintaining a sumciently high vacuum in the chamber to effect freezing as the pieces pass through the chamber. i.

JOHN J HOFFMAN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS 

